Windows Explorer Process doesn't end....

[tickleonthetum]

I've noticed that explorer.exe isn't ending when I close the program.
I've tried to work out if it's anything I'm doing but I can't see
anything. I used ProcessExplorer to watch the process and 8 times out
of 10 it stays listed after I've exited the program. Sometimes
Windows won't let me run explorer again until I kill the previous
explorer.exe process. I am talking about the file browser process not
the taskbar process. No other processes are listed as running within
it. Any ideas?

Win XP SP2
..NET 1.1
..NET 2
..NET 3

 

[Malke]

I've noticed that explorer.exe isn't ending when I close the program.
I've tried to work out if it's anything I'm doing but I can't see
anything. I used ProcessExplorer to watch the process and 8 times out
of 10 it stays listed after I've exited the program. Sometimes
Windows won't let me run explorer again until I kill the previous
explorer.exe process. I am talking about the file browser process not
the taskbar process. No other processes are listed as running within
it. Any ideas?

Win XP SP2
.NET 1.1
.NET 2
.NET 3

Are you sure you mean explorer.exe and not iexplore.exe? Explorer.exe is
the Windows graphical user interface, what most people think of when
they think of "Windows". It should always be running unless you are in
Safe Mode Command Prompt or in the Recovery Console.

Iexplore.exe is Internet Explorer, the Internet browser, and it most
definitely should not be running if you exit the program.

What is the virus/malware status of your computer? Be sure the machine
is clean:

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware


Malke

 

[kenkcj]

Explorer.exe is a process which should not be closed out or terminated. I
think you're thinking of the wrong program that you're trying to close out.
Windows explorer is just a way to browse files, but explorer.exe is the
program actually running windows. If you try to end it manually, the only
thing you can do on your computer from there is to shut off/reboot your
computer, or if the process fails and has to close, it will attempt to
restart itself but most of what you were working on will be closed in the
process as well.

 

[frodo]

explorer.exe _IS_ the desktop: it's responsible for painting the taskbar,
the desktop surface, all the icons on it, the start menu, etc. It won't
go away, and you don't want it to!

if you have checked the Folder Options | view | "launch folder windows in
a seperate process", then there will be a second (and third, forth,...)
for each folder window you open; when you close them then their
explorer.exe instance will go away. You can also cause the taskbar to run
in its own process, w/ this reg entry:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

;; ----------------------------------------------------------------------
;; make desktop process seperate (ie, desktop and taskbar in own process)

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer]
"DesktopProcess"=dword:00000001

 

[tickleonthetum]

Yes I mean EXPLORER.EXE. I know the difference and I'm pretty
experienced with Windows.

When I run Windows explorer, go browsing around my hard disk bring up
movies, pictures and whatever, then do File>Close or hit the X button,
if I look in Task Manager there are now 2 processes called
explorer.exe running. If I try running explorer.exe again, sometimes
it works (TM still only list 2 instances of explorer.exe) or nothing
happens and I have to use TM to end the explorer.exe process. I find
which is the right one to end by watching TM while right clicking on
the Taskbar and hovering on Toolbars, the CPU usage for the
explorer.exe that IS windows shoots up while the defunct one stays at
0.

 

[Malke]

Yes I mean EXPLORER.EXE. I know the difference and I'm pretty
experienced with Windows.

When I run Windows explorer, go browsing around my hard disk bring up
movies, pictures and whatever, then do File>Close or hit the X button,
if I look in Task Manager there are now 2 processes called
explorer.exe running. If I try running explorer.exe again, sometimes
it works (TM still only list 2 instances of explorer.exe) or nothing
happens and I have to use TM to end the explorer.exe process. I find
which is the right one to end by watching TM while right clicking on
the Taskbar and hovering on Toolbars, the CPU usage for the
explorer.exe that IS windows shoots up while the defunct one stays at
0.

OK, you should only have one explorer.exe running. Time to scan for malware.

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

If the machine is clean, something else is wrong but we don't have
enough information to guess what. The First Question Of Troubleshooting:
what changed between the time things worked and the time they didn't?


Malke